Dave Smith, one of the best relief pitchers of his era dies young of a heart attack. For you soccer fans out there, a relief pitcher is brought in late in the game to "relieve" the starting pitcher.Former Astros reliever Dave Smith was a giving person, and he made sure his younger teammates learned to value others as they adjusted to life in the majors. Smith’s name is atop or near the top of several of the Astros’ relief categories.
But as his former teammates coped with his death Wednesday, they didn’t talk about his 199 saves for the Astros or his team records for appearances (562), relief wins (53), relief innings (760) or most games finished (400). Instead, Smith’s friends and former teammate remembered the former San Diego State pitcher’s generous nature and cool California demeanor after he died of a heart attack Wednesday at age 53.
Smith’s mark extended far beyond the mound and into clubhouses, restaurants and airports throughout America. “He was probably one of the most giving people I ever met,” former Astros reliever Charlie Kerfeld said of Smith via phone Wednesday. “He was probably known around the league as the best tipper around the league. (The news of his death) is a tough one. You ain’t supposed to go this early.”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/sports/6170450.html
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